All Star Game
The ' All-Star Game', also known as the "Early-to-mid Summer Classic", is an annual professional water baseball game sanctioned sanctioned by the Professional Water Baseball League, contested between All Stars of American League (AL) and National League (NL). Starters are selected via fan balloting, while reserves are selected by players, managers, and Kevin James. The game usually occurs on either the second or third Tuesday in July, and is meant to mark a symbolic halfway-point in the Water Baseball season (though not the mathematical halfway-point which). Both of the major leagues share an All-Star break, with no regular-season games scheduled on the day before or two days after the All-Star Game itself. A few teams will also have the Sunday before the All Star Break off. Some additional events and festivities associated with the game take place each year close to and during this break in the regular season. The All Star Game is generally held the same day and in the same (or similar) city as the Major League Baseball All Star Game. The most recent game, in 2019, was played at General Industrial Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The American League won, 4-3. The 2020 game is scheduled to take place in Drowner Stadium in Los Angeles. The Inaugural All-Star Game ended in a 7-7 tie after 11 innings, because the teams ran out of pitchers. This was considered a great embarrassment to the newly formed league and commissioner Coors Selig vowed to never allow this to happen again. He toyed with the idea of giving the league who wins the All-Star Game home field advantage in that season's Earth Series, but then realized that would be a really stupid idea. Since that game, the American League has won the lion's share of All-Star Games. The AL currently holds a 14-3-1 lead in All-Star Games. Venues The first All-Star Game was held in 2002 at Pineapple Park in Honolulu, Hawaii. This was done as a nod to the NFL, who plays its Pro Bowl in Hawaii, and because it's fun. Originally intended to be an annual event, the fact that it ended in a tie resulted in some believing the All Star Game would not occur again. It wasn't until December 2002 that the PWBL decided to stage a game in 2003, which would be held at Republicans Stadium in Indianapolis. The venue for the All-Star Game is chosen by the PWBL. The criteria for the venue are subjective; generally, cities with new ballparks and those who have not hosted the game in a long time – or ever – tend to get selected. Since the PWBL has only been around for 18 seasons, no team has hosted (or is scheduled to host) a second All Star Game. Alaska, Albuquerque, Barrie, Boston, Los Angeles, Mobile, Philadelphia, Savannah, Totemsburgh, Virginia Beach, Wyoming, and Youngstown have not hosted an All-Star game as of yet. However, Los Angeles and Savannah are scheduled to host the game in 2020 and 2021, respectively. While Pittsburgh and Carolina have not hosted an All-Star Game, the Accents hosted the 2006 game as the Middlefield Amish Folk and the Kabutos hosted the 2013 game as the New Jersey Kabutos. Unlike the MLB All Star Game, the PWBL does not have to concern itself with cities that play host to two or more teams. There is no rhyme or reason as to whether an AL or NL venue is selected. Coincidentally, neither league has ever hosted more than three consecutive All Star Games. The AL hosted three consecutive games from 2007-09 (California, New York, St. Louis) and from 2017-19 (Miami, Dover, Cleveland). The NL has never hosted three consecutive games, but it hosted back-to-back games on three occasions (2002-03, 2005-06, 2010-11) and will again in 2020-21. The "home" team (i.e. the league who bats last) is always the league of which the host team is a member. All Star Game Rosters Selection of managers and coaches Since 2003, the managers of the game are the managers of the previous year's league pennant winners and Earth Series clubs. For the inaugural All Star game in 2002, Charlie Instructions of the Generals and Larry Arrowa of the Philises were selected as managers. The Generals won the Planet Series during the Aqua Baseball League's only season in 2001. The Phillises had the highest record of any current NL team during the 2001 ABL season, when they finished 27-23 as the Philadelphia Stevens. The selection of Arrowa was controversial as the Stevens' record was only the 6th best record in that league (the five better teams were placed in the AL). Furthermore, the Hawaii Pineapples, champions of the short-lived XWBL in 2001, were a much better team than the Phillises. Many believed Pineapples' manager Tito Ukulele should have gotten the nod.). Arrowa attempted to make peace by naming Ukulele as the bench coach. It is not known what will happen if an Earth Series manager retires, dies, or gets shown the door prior to the next season, as this has never happened. The manager then chooses his coaching staff for the game. Selection of players The size of the all star roster was 30 players for the 2002 Game and 32 players from 2003-2009, and 33 from 2010 to the present. Fans will vote on ten starters in each league (P, C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3-OF, and DH). Unlike MLB, the fans also vote on the starting pitcher for each game. Next, nine additional pitchers are chosen by a panel including the players and managers in each league, as well as actor Kevin James. Players are not allowed to vote for themselves or a teammate. Managers are not allowed to vote for a player on the team they manage. This voting is done via secret ballot. Of the nine pitchers, at least five must be starting pitchers and at least three must be relief pitchers. Next, the same panel chooses reserves at each position, including three outfielders and a DH. The panel will also select a third catcher, because of the physical demands of that position. After these selections are made, the roster stands at 29 men. The final four players are chosen by the Commissioner. Of these four players, at least one must be a pitcher and at least one must be a position player. With these selections, the Commissioner must ensure that all teams are represented in the Game, with the exception of those teams with a win % below .250 on July 1. Players from those awful teams can still be selected, however, it is not required that there be an All Star from such a team. The host team must have a representative in the Game, even if they suck. Pitchers who start the Sunday before the All Star Game will be replaced on the All Star Roster, but still recognized as All Stars. The Commissioner is also responsible for replacing pitchers who start on that Sunday as well players who do not play in the All Star Game because of injury or an unwillingness to play in the game. All Star Uniforms The AL All Stars traditionally wear a red uniform, while NL All Stars wear a blue uniform. Each player wears the batting helmet and ballcap of his respective team, kind of like the Pro Bowl. MVP Award The Reginald Gutierez All Star Game MVP Award is given to the player who made the biggest contribution(s) in the All-Star Game. It is named after the late Reginald Gutierez, who was a star water baseball player in the 1980s and would have probably won several of these awards if Water Baleball had more than a fringe following at that time. (His name also happens to be the 202nd most common male first name and surname in the USA). The first such award was given to Commissioner Coors Selig for making the decision to not force pitchers to over exert themselves and suffer injuries and allow the All Star Game to end in a tie. Since then, AL players have won 12 MVP awards (counting the 2019 MVP award, which was shared among two AL players, as a single award) and NL players have won 5. Only twice has a player won the All Star Game MVP award in defeat: Mike Sturgeon of the Los Angeles Drowners, who won the award in both 2014 and 2015, despite the NL losing both of those games. Sturgeon is also the only player to have won the All Star Game MVP Award more than once. The award has been shared by multiple players once; Pitchers Shane Sheeran of Indianapolis and Shane Swift of Carolina were named co-MVPs in 2019. Four players - Sheeran, Swift, J.D. Andy of Providence, and Eric Hampster of St. Louis - have won the MVP award in their lone All Star Game appearance. The San Antonio Something have the most All-Star Game MVPs, with three (2004, 2006, 2018). The Alaska Blubber Nuggets (2007, 2017) and Los Angeles Drowners (2014, 2015) each have two All-Star Game MVPs. Game Results Other All-Star Game Events There are several festivities that occur the Sunday through Tuesday of All-Star Week since the first game in 2002. The Home Run Derby, a contest among home run hitters, has been held on the day before the All-Star Game. The All-Star Futures Game has been held the SUnday evening prior to the All-Star Game. The two teams, one consisting of young players from the United States and the other consisting of young players from all other nations, are usually chosen based on prospect status in the minor leagues. The All-Star Pasts game features old, retired players who still think they've got it. This game is played on the Monday afternoon prior to the Home Run Derby The All-Star Never Had Its game features awful players who are known for making brief appearances in the Majors, such as Brett Lillibridge or Aaron Cunningham. The All-Star Legends and Celebrity Water Softball Game pits teams with a mixture of former stars from the host team's past, as well as celebrities from music, film, television, and local hole-in-the-wall comedy clubs. This game is held during the day prior to the Home Run Derby.